Church of All Souls, Bolton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Church of All Souls, Bolton |
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All Souls Church, Bolton, from the northeast
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| OS grid reference | SD 713,108 |
| Location | Astley Street, Bolton, Greater Manchester |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | Churches Conservation Trust |
| History | |
| Founder(s) | Thomas Greenhalgh |
| Dedication | All Souls |
| Consecrated | 1881 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 26 April 1974 |
| Architect(s) | Paley and Austin |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1878 |
| Completed | 1881 |
| Construction cost | £16,500 (equivalent to £1,190,000 in 2021) |
| Closed | 1986 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Brick with sandstone dressings, slate roofs |
The Church of All Souls is a beautiful old building in Astley Street, Astley Bridge, Bolton, England. It used to be an Anglican church, but it's now a community center. It's a very important building, listed as Grade II* on the National Heritage List for England. This means it's protected because of its special history and design. The Churches Conservation Trust looks after it today.
Contents
Building the Church
This church was built between 1878 and 1881. A rich mill-owner named Thomas Greenhalgh paid for it. He used money he inherited from his brother, Nathaniel, who passed away in 1877. The total cost of the church, including everything inside, was about £23,000. That was a huge amount of money back then!
The area around Bolton was growing fast in the 1800s. Many people worked in the nearby mills. The church was built to serve these growing communities. It was designed by famous architects from Lancaster, named Paley and Austin. They planned the church to hold about 800 people. Everyone could see and hear the sermon clearly. The church was officially opened in 1881 by Dr J. Fraser, who was the Bishop of Manchester. Not much has changed inside the church since then. Later, a war memorial was added to remember local people who died in the First World War.
Church Design
Outside the Church
All Souls Church is made of brick with special sandstone details. The roofs are made of slate. The church has a long main part called a nave. It also has a chancel at the end, which is where the altar is. There's a special rounded part called an apse. On the sides, there's a room for the organ and another area for the chapel and vestry (where the clergy prepare).
The church doesn't have side aisles. At the front, there's a tall tower that is 118 feet (about 36 meters) high. The tower has a main door and a large window above it. The top of the tower has fancy stone decorations called pinnacles. The main part of the church has strong supports called buttresses. It also has two rows of windows with detailed stone patterns called tracery.
Inside the Church
The inside of All Souls Church is very special because it has no pillars. This means it's one big open space, 52 feet (about 16 meters) wide. This makes it one of the widest parish churches in England! The architects designed it this way so everyone could have a great view of the front of the church and hear the sermon easily.
The wooden roof has a complex design with rib vaulting. This makes the roof look like a series of arches. At the front, there's a stone screen behind the altar called a reredos. It has carved panels with prayers. The font (for baptisms) and the reredos were designed by John Roddis. The wooden choir stalls, pews, organ case, and pulpit were all designed by the architects.
The stained glass windows in the apse show scenes from the New Testament. These beautiful windows were made by Clayton and Bell. They remember Thomas Greenhalgh's brother, Nathaniel. Other stained glass windows show Faith and Hope. The church also has a large organ and a set of eight bells. The bells were made in 1881 by John Taylor & Co.
What Happened Next
As time went on in the 1900s, fewer people lived in the area. In 1962, the church's parish (its local area) was joined with another church. In 1970, some stained glass windows in the tower were removed because they had been damaged.
The church closed its doors in 1986. It was then taken care of by the Churches Conservation Trust. Since then, the building has been updated. In December 2014, it reopened as a business and community center. A small charity called All Souls Bolton now manages it.
See also
- List of churches in Greater Manchester
- Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester
- Listed buildings in Bolton
- List of ecclesiastical works by Paley and Austin
- List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in Northern England
